Wednesday, June 24, 2009

On occasion I get mistaken for Elvis Costello by people who don't really know what Elvis Costello looks like. They see glasses and a hat and figure I must be him. But now it will be an even more frequent nuisance, because Elvis is sporting a mustache. Damn that look-stealing limey. What next? A cigar?

He has even fashioned his hairline to look like mine, as evidenced in this photo of him doffing his hat at the end of Conan O'Brien's show last night.

For anyone interested in how to accurately tell the difference between myself and Costello in the wild, I offer this brief list of defining characteristics:

1. His hair is longer and wavy, mine is very short2. The brims of his hats are larger than mine3. His clothing is expensive, mine is mostly from resale shops and smells of cigars4. He has Diana Krawl on his arm, I have CHNW (personally, I think I come out ahead on this one)5. I am the one occasionally mistaken for Elvis Costello, he is the one never mistaken for me.

Re your last point, I wouldn't know Costello if I tripped over him. But my wife & I were in Brooklyn last week and, who knows, if we had seen Costello strolling down 7th avenue we might have mistaken him for you, told him how much we enjoy Bizzaro & BizzaroBlog, shown him pictures of the family, asked him if he was free for lunch ...

I'm sure you meant KRALL. Unless there is another Diana on his arm too? I wouldn't complain about the spelling except that I have a weird name, and spelling becomes important at some point in the self-identity process.

But, as with the Elvis C confusion, you are well aware of this identity thing.

I have decided that I will carry a small ruler with me, and if I see someone I THINK is you, I will immediately measure his hat brim!